Faith in the Face of Death

Genesis 23

¹ Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.² So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

³ Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,⁴ “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” ⁵ And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,⁶ “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” ⁷ Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.⁸ And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.” ¹⁰ Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,¹¹ “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!” ¹² Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;¹³ and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” ¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,¹⁵ “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.”

¹⁶ And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. ¹⁷ So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded¹⁸ to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. ¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.²⁰ So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

Many of you have had the difficult task of burying a spouse. You know what a demanding test of faith death can be. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 the apostle Paul instructs believers not to “sorrow as others who have no hope.” The context in that passage is the certain promise of the Lord’s return providing hope and comfort for believers as they deal with the loss of a loved one. Yes, we have sorrow when someone we love dies. Yes, we grieve their loss; but not as others who have no hope; not as the rest of the world who have no faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Here in Genesis 23, we see that lesson played out in the life of Abraham. Here we see Abraham grieve as one who lives for eternity; as one who looks forward to God fulfilling all of His glorious future promises.

Genesis 23 is about the death of Abraham’s wife Sarah and his purchase of a place in which to bury her body. The last time that we heard about Sarah was in Genesis 21 when she gave birth to Isaac at the age of 90 and then the casting out of Ishmael maybe three years later. Although that was only two chapters ago in the book of Genesis, 37 years have passed since Isaac’ birth.

We should not be surprised to Sarah’s death recorded as a part of the Abraham’s story. However, did you notice where the emphasis is in this chapter? Of the twenty verses in Genesis 23, only two refer to the emotional response of Abraham to Sarah’s death. The other eighteen verses deal with Abraham’s purchase of a burial plot for Sarah.

1. The Death of Sarah (Gen. 23:1-2)

It is interesting that just prior to recording the death of Sarah, Moses wrote about Abraham receiving a report from his homeland about his brother Nahor and the children that were born to him. Genesis 22:20-24 says,

²⁰ Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: ²¹ Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

In that day, it was important that a person be buried in his native land. It would have been easy for Abraham, with news from the family in the homeland, to have thought when Sarah died, “I must take her back there to bury her.” But God had called Abraham to the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:5-6) and promised to give it to him and his descendants (Gen. 17:8). Genesis 23:2 states that “Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.” Genesis 23:19 will bookend this story the with the same phrase “Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.”

So the point of emphasizing Abraham’s efforts in securing a burial plot “in the land of Canaan” is to show his faith in God’s promise as he faced Sarah’s death. Abraham grieved Sarah’s death and wept, but he faced her death with solid faith in God’s promises concerning the future.

While the emphasis of the passage does not fall here, we do know that Abraham expressed grief in the face of Sarah’s death. Faith is not evidenced by a stoic, stainless steel attitude toward death. Faith recognizes death for what it is: an enemy that entered the human race as God’s curse on our sin (Gen. 3:19; 1 Cor. 15:26). We know that Jesus Christ, by His own death and resurrection, has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” (2 Tim. 1:10). But that final victory over death will only be fully realized at the day of resurrection when the Lord returns. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 15:

⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Cor. 15:51-54).

Until that day, death is an enemy, a painful reminder of God’s judgment on the human race for our rebellion against Him. We are not supposed to smile and say it doesn’t hurt. Even though Sarah lived a relatively long life (she is the only woman in the Bible whose age at death is given), and even though we know from Hebrews 11 that Abraham believed in the resurrection of the dead (Heb. 11:19), our text today says, “Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her” (Gen. 23:2). There is nothing unmanly or unbiblical about tears in a time of grief. Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). Paul reminds us to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).

That brings us to the major section of Genesis 23 where we see that …

2. Abraham secures a burial plot (Gen. 23:3-20)

In this long section Abraham approaches the Hittites and he asks to purchase a place to bury his wife. Moses describes the legal process in detail. Legal transactions were typically conducted at the city gate, where the city leaders were present and where witnesses were at hand (Gen. 23:10, 18). The terms of the agreement were determined by a sequence of negotiations fully within the customs and culture of the day. It may seem “foreign” to us, and so it is, but not to Abraham or the Hittites. Abraham’s dealings are a model of dignity and fair play (Deffinbaugh).

In Genesis 23:3-4 we see Abraham’s request. He says to the Hittites, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight” (Gen. 23:4).

Abraham had lived in the land of Canaan now for about 62 years (he was 75 when he arrived and is now 137). Yet Abraham is still a foreigner and a visitor, a stranger and a pilgrim. Even though God had promised to give Abraham’s descendants all the land of Canaan, Abraham still owned none of it. He believed God’s promises do not end with this life. As the New Testament book of Hebrews says about Abraham’s family, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). As children of Abraham we are also strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This does not mean that we are forbidden from acquiring property or from building wealth. But it does mean that we are to live on this earth continually mindful of the fact that this is not our home. We are to store up treasures, not on earth, but in heaven.

In Genesis 23:5-6 the sons of Heth (the Hittites), recognizing Abraham’s nobility, respond with a generous offer for Abraham to be free to bury his dead in any of their burial places. However, a borrowed grave was not acceptable to Abraham. There is really nothing wrong with a borrowed grave; our Lord was buried in one you recall (Matthew 27:60), but our Lord only needed His grave for three days, whereas Abraham needed his site for posterity (Genesis 25:9; 50:13). Nothing less than a permanent possession would satisfy Abraham. (Deffinbaugh).

So Abraham clarifies his request, asking Ephron the son of Zohar to sell him a specific plot of ground, the cave of Machpelah, at the full price (Gen 23:7-9). Ephron responded to Abraham’s proposal by offering not only the cave but the field attached to it (Gen 23:10-11). Perhaps in saying he would “give” it Ephron was only seeking to loan it to Abraham, or maybe this was his subtle way of saying “name your price.”

Abraham is humble and gracious throughout this transaction, bowing down before Ephron and the Hittites and asking for them to listen to his proposal (Gen. 23:12). Abraham then offers to buy the land and the cave outright (Gen. 23:13). Again Ephron is subtle in naming the price, implying that if Ephron is so generous as to give Abraham this land, what a small matter it was for Abraham to agree on the price (Gen. 23:15). Abraham accepts, pays the money (Gen. 23:16), and the transaction is legally witnessed (23:17-18).

The point of this detailed story of Abraham’s securing Sarah’s burial plot is to show his strong faith in God’s promise to give this land to his descendants. Remember, Moses was writing Genesis to people on the verge of entering and conquering the land of Canaan. Many of the Israelites were afraid and unsure of their future in the land of promise. Moses is showing how their forefather Abraham paid for legal title to this burial ground because he believed what God had promised. Not only Sarah, but Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were buried in that cave as a testimony of their faith in God’s promise to give the land of Canaan to their descendants. So now Israel must go in and claim the land God had promised.

For Abraham, the purchase of the cave of Machpelah was an expression of his faith in God keeping His promises. Listen again to Hebrews 11;13-16:

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

By determining that Sarah, and later he and his descendants, would be buried in Canaan, Abraham “staked his claim” in the land which God had promised. The land where he would be buried was to be the homeland of his descendants. The place that God had promised him was the place where he must be buried. Later, when Abraham was silent and in the grave by his wife Sarah, the cave of Machpelah cried out that death formed no obstacle to Abraham’s hope in the possession of God’s promises.

In much the same way, when we place our loved ones in the ground, we do so in anticipation of the promise of God that one day the dead in Christ will rise again. We too will be buried someday in a lot somewhere. Our bodies will rest in the soil of this earth, waiting for the day when Jesus will call our names, and we will be raised to inherit that which has been promised to us.

That is how Abraham expressed faith in the face of death. His faith looked beyond the grave to the promises of God. He believed God would give his descendants all that land just as God had promised. He also believed that a Savior would come from his descendants, and that through Him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Because Christ Jesus has died and risen again, we know that we have eternal life through Him. He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), and the keys to death belong to Him (Rev. 1:18).